College:  Arizona State

Height:  6'1"

Weight:  316

Positives

Athleticism:  It's a term that gets thrown around way too much when assessing players, but there is no denying for an interior defensive lineman Sutton truly is one of the most athletic players at his position.  He has rare quickness and explodes off the snap due to impeccable snap anticipation and acceleration, putting him ahead of his blocker before they are often even out of their stance.  Sutton is sometimes so quick to penetrate he doesn't require great pursue skills as he often meets his opponent in the backfield before the play has time to develop.  

Where Sutton really separates himself from other defensive tackles is his ability to move with lateral agility across the line of scrimmage.  Unlike most interior lineman, who are a one direction "north and south" penetrator, Sutton moves with rare balance and stays light on his feet as he makes moving side to side look natural.  Because of this he is able to make tackles anywhere along the line of scrimmage as well as showing the ability to catch up to runners down field with his quickness.      

Pass-Rushing Skills:  Its not often you find a defensive tackle that has the ability to rush the passer with such effectiveness like Sutton does.  After his tremendous burst off the snap Sutton penetrates threw his gaps with his quickness and violent hands.  Sutton consistently makes an impact rushing the passer using vicious swim and rip moves that allows him to get into the backfield and make the play.  Although he isn't the strongest man on the line Sutton does often win his one-on-one battles using his leverage to get underneath the blocker's pad level and drive him backward to collapse the pocket.      

Negatives

Size:  Unlike most people my problem with Sutton's size isn't his height.  I for one appreciate his short compact build as it clearly allows him to gain natural lower leverage than his opponent and then drive them backwards with his strength. 

His fluxuating weight doesn't seem to bother me as well after he produced at a high level near 280 pounds his junior year, and had similar success near 300 pounds last season.  

I do however worry about his short arms and how he may have problems with shedding blocks at the next level.  Sutton is often quicker than his blocker but when he's not he has a difficult time disengaging from longer armed offensive lineman, and shedding his blocks.  From there he can be driven backwards when this happens taking himself out of the play.    

Technique:  Sutton gets away on pure athleticism and explosion more times than not as his raw technique often gets overlooked.  No arguing he has shown elite potential and can dominate, but to do that consistently he must develop the technicalities of the position first.  Coaches will need to help him compensate for his short arms at the next level or he will struggle with consistencies specifically in the run game. 

His poor tackling technique is another aspect of his game that gets overshadowed due to his big play potential.  Sutton is a big man who can lay a lick, but will often attempt an arm tackle by reaching out away from his body rather than driving through his opponent with his big frame.  Due to this poor technique his blockers are able to get him off balance regularly where he will subsequently end up on the ground.         

NFL Comparison

As an undersized defensive tackle there is a lot of Bengals lineman Geno Atkins that you see when watching Will Sutton.  Inches shorter than the prototypical NFL defensive tackles and 10-20 pounds lighter much like Atkins, Sutton will come into the league as a rotational lineman offering his natural penetration skills on passing downs.  Eventually Sutton should develop the rest of his game with proper coaching and could live up to his potential as an explosive three-down lineman becoming effective against both the run and the pass.    

Draft Outlook

I seem to be higher on Sutton than most.  With his track record as a disruptive interior lineman who is always in the backfield the rare explosiveness that he possess is something that is in high demand in the NFL.  Sutton was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2012 and 2013 as coaches recognized his disruptive play even when his numbers declined last season. 

Although he has flaws like his technique and tackling, his upside as a pass rusher from the inside position is something that teams are always after in a new pass happy league.  The fact that he will likely start out as a rotational player his first year will push him past the first round, however his big play potential should be too tempting for teams to pass up their second time around.  Expect to hear Sutton's name called on day two sooner than later.     

Best Fit

Many people have firmly entrenched Sutton as a 3-technique in a 4-3 defense.  "Not so fast my friends!".  Sutton played all across the defensive line for the Sun Devils including the zero technique chewing up two blockers.  Although he won't translate to a nose tackle in the NFL, with Sutton's increase in weight and size the possibility of him playing defensive end in a 3-4 is something people have foolishly dismissed.  Teams in the market for a defensive lineman at the three or five technique with pass rushing capabilities are the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardnials, and New England Patriots.